23 August 2023

Championing the Mind & Body Improvement Network to inspire professionals to integrate mental and physical healthcare requires many hats; Carl tells us how he moves projects forward.  

What is your role? 

My role in KHP is Assistant Project Manager within the Mind & Body programme team. I have been working in the team for almost three years and was previously a project support officer.  

I currently work on the Mind & Body Improvement Network which was formed from the Mind & Body Champions and aims to create a network of like-minded individuals who share a passion for mental and physical healthcare integration, whole-person-focused care.

I also have a role in the team as the unofficial official communications lead which involves writing the monthly newsletter for the 700+ Mind & Body Champions who are interested in keeping up with all things mind and body. And I help manage procurement for the team and other administrational duties that keep the mind and body cogs going. 

What do you enjoy most about your role?  

I really enjoy the diversity of the role, one day I may be writing the newsletter, the next day I am pulling together case studies to go on the mind and body Future NHS space, (join the network here if you haven't already: Mind & Body Improvement Network) or I may be at a staff day at one of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (NHS FT) sites promoting mind and body and giving out resources for staff and patients - so I definitely enjoy the variety.

I also enjoy the fact that the mind and body team is one of the larger teams at KHP, I really enjoying having a large team it really helps with bouncing ideas off each other and problem-solving. 

What inspired you to get into this work?  

I initially started out doing admin work, then I got the opportunity to work on a building project at South London and Maudsley NHS FT with the then Associate Director of Strategy (thank you Lucy Canning). This got my foot in the door of project support work as I was helping manage the CYP plans with the project manager.  

I had been working at Maudsley in the Equality team for two years and it felt like it was time to leave, I then found a project support role within KHP and the rest is history. Fast-forward almost three years and I have been able to really get stuck into project management which was the goal I set back in 2020! 

What are the benefits of working in partnership?  

Working in a partnership means that you have access to so many different resources, training, rooms, facilities and staff members. It's very cool as you can pull from whichever source you need, of course there may be better connections in one particular partner than others but all in all you have access to thousands of colleagues and various different resources to aid in the management of your projects which I think is pretty amazing! 

What would be your one career top tip to staff and students?  

My one career top tip would be, ‘be kind to all those that you encounter. You never know who you may run into in the future or what someone may become, so always treat everyone you encounter with the upmost respect no matter their banding or their position in the trust - humility can be key!’ 

 Find out more about the Mind & Body Programme here.